No Debt Unpaid
by AliasCWN
Summary: A sequel to The Letter. Published 3/25/17 Dietrich gets another letter from his cousin.


**No Debt Unpaid **

By: AliasCWN

Author's note: If you haven't read The Letter, a story published 3/25/17, I recommend you do so before reading this story. This story follows that story and refers to it in vague terms. If you did read it and you don't remember the details, it might help to reread it before reading this one. The details of the story have been kept deliberately vague for the safety of the characters.

"Hello Ludwig, what brings you here?" Captain Hans Dietrich greeted his old friend warmly. "I thought you would still be in Berlin."

"I have an answer to that letter you asked me to deliver." Ludwig patted his breast pocket. "Hans, you do realize that the lady you are writing to is married? Her husband is an officer and works for a very high ranking official."

"I do realize that." Dietrich answered with a smile. "That officer happens to be a very good friend of mine."

"Yet you send letters to his wife without going through the censors? Forgive me for asking, but do you think that is wise?"

"Not at all Ludwig." Dietrich answered honestly. "But there are times that I feel the desperate need to bare my soul and I cannot do that with just anyone. I trust the lady to keep my secrets, and what's more, she has the uncanny ability to understand my feelings. Those letters help keep me sane in this war."

Ludwig looked worried. "Are you sure you can trust her?"

"With my life." Dietrich answered.

"Very well Hans. I just hope it doesn't end up costing you your career, or worse yet, your life. Her husband can reach ears in high places."

The captain nodded and smiled.

"She must be a very special lady." Ludwig ventured to suggest.

"She is." Dietrich agreed. "I have known her my entire life."

"Then why didn't you marry her before she married the other man?" Ludwig asked. "Surely it would have been safer for both of you. What will her husband do if he finds out about the two of you?"

"He already knows about us." Dietrich replied. "He always has."

"Does he know about the letters?"

"No."

"What will he do to the two of you if he finds out?"

"I suspect that he will scold her for her indiscretion and then kiss her soundly." Captain Dietrich answered.

"And you?"

"He will probably send me a nasty letter threatening all sorts of dire deeds if I get his precious Ione in trouble." Dietrich smiled. "And then he would ask what he could do to help me."

"Are you sure?"

"As I explained, we are dear friends."

"Friends don't usually lust after the other's wife."

Dietrich laughed. "No, they don't." He looked at Ludwig's concerned face and smiled. "The lady is my cousin. We have always been very close, even as children. We have always been able to talk about anything in our lives with complete candor. When she married Manfred I was best man at their wedding." The captain sobered and sighed. "I know our letters are against the rules. I have no desire to get Ione into trouble. It's just that there are times that I cannot talk to anyone else and I need to talk to someone. We are careful Ludwig. We never mention names or places. Our references are vague on purpose. We are both aware of the dangers of what we are doing. That is why I only ask those I truly trust to deliver the letters. Once we read them we destroy them so they can never be found."

"Are they worth the risk Hans?"

Dietrich nodded. "They may be the only things that keep me sane."

"Then I shall continue to deliver them as long as I have the opportunity." Ludwig offered. "But I won't be going back to Berlin for quite some time I'm afraid."

"That's fine." Dietrich answered. "We don't write that way very often. Usually we keep in touch by sending our letters the regular way. As you pointed out, this way is very dangerous, for both of us."

Dietrich's aide chose that moment to knock on the door to announce that the noon meal was ready. Ludwig stayed for lunch before departing for his next destination.

Dietrich saw him off before returning to his office. He locked the door and told his aide he didn't want to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Taking the letter from his pocket, Dietrich sat down to read it.

_Dear Cousin,_

_I have sent you several letters about my life so I won't bore you with repeating any of those details. Those letters were fairly mundane so I am sure they made it past the censors. I know you have repeatedly told me to keep these letters to a minimum but I had to write. I cannot talk to my dear husband about this matter. He loves me but he would not understand. You on the other hand, already know many of my thoughts on this matter. I am referring to the aftermath of my ordeal with our allies, the Italians. You do remember the details I hope. Again, I will not mention names but I am certain that you will know who I mean._

_My husband was sent to another base, not one near you this time. Since it was considered to be safe, he allowed me to accompany him. After our arrival we were in the commander's office when a prisoner was brought in, an American sergeant. It was the leader of that group that gives you so much trouble. The base commander had had him questioned and was preparing to send him to the Gestapo. The very idea gave me chills._

_My husband and I were leaving the commander's office when a young lieutenant and his aide passed us on the street outside the building. I'm sure that they didn't see me, but I saw them. I not only saw them, but I recognized them._

_The lieutenant was the nice young man who was injured protecting me from that shell by the grave of our young private. His aide was one of his sergeants. They actually looked quite dapper in their well pressed German uniforms. I didn't see their other driver but I am quite certain that he was close by._

_Now comes the part where I ask your forgiveness. I know it was wrong, but I told my darling husband that I was feeling faint and I ask him to see me to our quarters. Always the gallant gentleman he immediately escorted me directly to our room._

_Not long after reaching our room the base alarms began to sound. The American sergeant had escaped with help from some of his men. The base was in an uproar. And, being the loyal German soldier that he is, my husband insisted on going with the men searching for the escaped prisoner._

_Now cousin, again, I know it was wrong, but I prayed that if they caught them my husband would not be among those present when it happened. I remember you telling me that they fought like a dozen men on any occasion but like twice that many when one of their own was in danger. I did not want my dear husband to be killed. Truth be told, I did not want any of them to die. Am I wrong? If you think I have done something terrible I will suffer my punishment. But please understand, my dear husband knows nothing of any of this. _

_I have never told him everything that happened in that horrible Italian base and I have never been able to make him understand how I feel about my rescuers. He is truly grateful to them but he is a loyal German and would not understand my confusion about this war. You dear cousin are the only one I feel comfortable talking to about this. We have always been able to discuss our true feelings without fear of ridicule or exposure. I am counting on you to keep my secret this time too._

_You have never said anything but I have the feeling that you know exactly how I feel about the escape of that prisoner. Confused puts it mildly. Conflicted perhaps?_

_I have always felt that a debt owed should be repaid. To be honest, I never really expected to see that lieutenant or any of his friends again. It did bother me that they risked their lives for me and I could not truly properly thank them. Now I feel as though I have repaid that debt, at least in part. And I truly feel that it was the right thing to do. I hope that my actions have not caused you any undue hardships in the future. I know it is you who will have to deal with the continued presence of the lieutenant and his sergeants. Hopefully this war will be over soon and we can all go back to our peaceful lives. Can you imagine a world without war?_

_I'm sorry; I know you trained for many years for the chance to make a name for yourself in battle. And this is the time for you to show your superiors what you are capable of doing. Knowing you I am certain that they are suitable impressed already. But I wish this war was over. _

_I cannot find it in my heart to regret my recent actions. To put it bluntly, I'm glad I did what I did._

_Thankfully my darling husband was not injured and the soldiers on the base suffered only minor injuries. The commander was very angry but he seemed to be an angry man by nature anyway. We left the base soon after so I am not sure who ultimately accepted the responsibility for the sergeant's escape but I doubt that it was the commander. I do feel sorry for the men the commander most surely blamed. But again, I am not sorry for my actions. _

_While I felt the need to unburden myself I also thought that you might want to know that you may be able to find a little peace, at least for a few weeks. The sergeant will need some time to recover. _

_I am going to close now dear cousin. I want this letter to reach you before your adversary returns to his duties. Perhaps you can get a few convoys through before his return. Good-bye for now and think of me with compassion when you judge my actions._

"_Your faithful cousin._

Dietrich folded the letter carefully and tucked it away in his secret safe. No other person, not even his aide, knew about that safe. No one had access to it except him. He would re-read the letter several times before he burned it. Later he would send a carefully worded letter to Ione and tell her that he understood her actions and that there was nothing to forgive. He would not mention her letter in case the censors got suspicious. Maybe someday after the war was over he would discuss the matter with his cousin in private. They could sit in one of their homes and talk about the war and their feelings. Until then, it would remain their secret.

Spinning the dial of the safe the captain thought about the last part of the letter. Troy was injured and his men would most likely not venture too far from the sergeant until he recovered. Ione had said they were not close by but in another part of the desert. Ione was right, now was his chance to get his convoy's through. With the Rat Patrol temporarily out of the picture it was the perfect time to send the supplies he had been storing on to their next destination.

Dietrich unlocked his door and told his aide to send for the lieutenant who would organize the convoys. It was time to get back to the war.


End file.
